The Calm Before The Storm
by AcesOfSpade
Summary: It has been but months since the Phoenix Force took over Jean Grey. The institute has been recruiting new students, and staff. Two of these staff members are the children of a reformed hero on the teaching staff. Another two of the staff members are the couple at the school everyone wants to get married. Will things work out over time? Or will things crumble? (Cherik/NightClops)


Sometimes, when Kurt and Scott were nestled against each other in bed, Scott would sleep without his glasses. Kurt usually woke up before him, so he would gently slip the glasses back onto Scott's face for when he woke up. Scott always appreciated it. Sleeping with his glasses on was always uncomfortable, but he needed to for when he woke up. Having Kurt doing what he did made Scott happy and content.

The nights when Kurt wasn't there affected Scott. He didn't have his mutant teddy bear, almost literally, and he slept with the plastic of his glasses poking into his face. He missed Kurt on those nights. He had gotten used to sleeping without his glasses on; it was the first time in years he could do it since his powers came in.

Other nights, he would constantly be losing his glasses due to some more... vigorous bedroom activities. You'd think being blue and fuzzy, Kurt wouldn't be an ideal sexual partner, but the fuzzy elf was amazing in bed, unashamed of his fuzziness.

For twelve years, they've been sleeping that way. Twelve years of Kurt waking up early to put on Scott's glasses, twelve years of Scott sleeping peacefully with no glasses.

One morning, in April, Scott had woken up to find his glasses on his nose, but Kurt was nowhere to be found. Scott got up with a frown, throwing off the covers and heading out of the bedroom in a pair of grey sweatpants. He found Kurt in the kitchen with the students, making breakfast. He couldn't help but let his face crack into a half-smile. Kurt was a wonderful instructor, and most of the students adored him. Especially Storm's daughter, Oriana. She found Kurt to be the nicest of the instructors, and Storm had told her many stories of when he was younger and she found them amusing. She idolized Kurt as well, and always looked forward to his classes. She had control over light, as well as rays of sunlight.

Scott, after watching one of the younger students nearly knock over Kurt for a few minutes, finally cleared his throat.

"Mornin'." he chuckled in Kurt's general direction. He was amused by the scene. Kurt was holding a bowl of cereal, and Oriana was hugging his hip as he tried to walk over to the table.

"Morning, Scott!" Kurt beamed happily. He placed his cereal on the table and made his best effort to walk over to Scott with Oriana attached to him. Once he got there, he hugged his boyfriend tightly and kissed his cheek.

Scott gave Kurt an amused smile and ruffled Oriana's hair. He squatted down in front of her to look her in the eyes. "Hey, Sun Ray?" he said softly. "Could you let Mr. Kurt go so he can eat breakfast?" he asked. Oriana nodded softly and let go of Kurt, her white hair flipping into her face as she turned to find a chair.

Kurt smiled at Scott when he stood up, kissing his cheek again and muttering 'thank you' against his skin. Scott wrapped a single arm around him to say 'you're welcome'. The couple moved to sit at the table, minding the small children. The Professor had been accepting younger, elementary aged children whose powers had come in earlier than normal. The youngest child was Oriana, who was 6. She'd been at the Institute since she was born. Storm had married an African King and had Oriana, but they had gotten a divorce the year prior. T'Challa was a nice enough guy, but apparently he and Ororo clashed too often.

Kurt brought a spoonful of cereal to his mouth, but before he could eat it, the instructors were called to the planning room. Groaning, he placed his spoon back into his bowl and got up. Quickly heading to their room to get dressed, Kurt and Scott were third to the planning room. Shadowcat and Rogue had been the first two. Soon after them, Iceman, Canonball, Magma, Sunspot, Multiple, and Forge were settled around the table, Multiple even only sitting in one chair for once. He was that tired.

Professor X, his wheelchair wheels locked, sat at the end of the table, observing. He finally cleared his throat to speak when Storm, Wolverine, Gambit, Angel, and Beast appeared, standing by the door.

"As you well know, my X-Men, we lost one of our own to the dark side not but a few months ago. Because of this, I have been looking for more recruits to aid us. In this search, a few mutants we already know have stepped forward to sincerely join us." he began, fingers steepled under his chin. The instructors shared looks and glances, wondering who they were.

As if cued, two heads popped out from behind the other door of the planning room. One was dusted with silver hair, the other a mix of red and black. Both faces were painted in sheepish expressions, eyes downcast and meek.

Kurt was the first to speak up. "The Maximoff twins?" he said, voice laced with confusion and shock.

Professor X nodded. "They offered to join us willingly." he said. "They are sincere in their actions." he added, gesturing for them to enter the room. They were wearing X-Men versions of their old costumes. Both were black, with dark silver boots. Pietro's had a silver lightning bolt draped over his left shoulder, and Wanda's had a scarlet red belt and the same shade for the sleeves. They were simple, but spoke volumes. The twins had reformed from the Brotherhood-turned-SHIELD agents, wanting to join the good fight.

The room burst into chatter between the instructors as they began to voice their shock. The loudest was Jamie, who was well into his 20s now and still had a voice that carried. He wasn't shocked, he was pleased. He could be heard saying how cool he thought it was that Pietro and Wanda wanted to join them. He'd always been an optimist, and it was rubbing off on everyone else.

Kurt was accepting as well. Maybe Pietro could tell him a few stories about his mother. He didn't like the woman's morals, or really who she was in general, but she was still his mother, and she had been killed by Phoenix. He didn't feel any emotion towards her death besides numbness, which he believed was caused by the conflict inside of him.

Brushing off thoughts of Mystique, he turned to look at the twins. Pietro had moved to lean against the wall, and Wanda was holding her wrist in her hand and staring at the ground.

"You can come over here and sit with us." Multiple said with a smile. "We don't bite." he added teasingly. He'd become funnier over the last 12 years, and he liked to make bad jokes. Especially about biting.

Wanda was the first to make a step towards the table. She sat down next to Kurt, and Pietro sped over to sit next to Sunspot. They fixed their eyes on the Professor, who spoke again.

"Wanda and Pietro will be joining the teaching staff as well, and should be treated like one of the X-Men, and not how you previously treated them as members of the Brotherhood." the Professor told them sternly. "Now, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, could the two of you show them to their room? It will be the one across from your room." he asked politely, unlocking the wheels of his chair. Kurt and Scott nodded.

The instructors were dismissed, and the couple and the twins, stood up. Pietro sped off to grab a couple bags of clothes and returned. Kurt and Scott headed off with them trailing after, leading them upstairs.

"Welcome to the X-Men, I guess." Scott said as they walked. "Hope you'll fit in. Spyke's calmed down over the years he spent with the Morlocks, so he shouldn't be a problem anymore."

"And Gambit is one of us now too." Kurt added. "You'll have someone to share stories with."

As the group headed upstairs, Oriana bolted out of the kitchen to grab onto Kurt again, having finished her breakfast. Kurt sighed and just trudged on. There was no fighting Oriana. She was just too damn cute to fight.

Once they reached the room, Wanda and Pietro gave the couple and Oriana a small wave and went in. Kurt tapped Oriana's shoulder to get her to let go of him and sent her downstairs to get ready for school. He and Scott returned to the now-empty kitchen to actually eat breakfast.

They ate in silence for a little while, until Kurt spoke up. What he said had shocked Scott with how casual and off-handed it had been said.

"We should get married." he had said in between spoonfuls of cereal. Scott had almost dropped his toast. He was surprised Kurt had thought of marriage, even more so that he basically just proposed to Scott over breakfast. Nonetheless, he was happy.

"Maybe we should." Scott agreed. He _did_ want to marry Kurt, and he figured 12 years together was long enough to wait for a marriage.

From outside the room, a small cheer could be heard from Kitty. She had been about to enter the kitchen to get some juice when she'd heard the exchange. She'd been waiting 12 years for that to happen.

As soon as she realized she was heard, a hand flew to her mouth, her cheeks tinted bright red. She tried to back away as quickly as she could, but she was found out and Kurt teleported out to her and brought her back into the kitchen. He and Scott were disappointed or embarrassed or anything, they just wanted to ask Kitty to not tell anyone about what had happened until Kurt and Scott were ready to tell everyone else. Kitty had promised she wouldn't, and got the juice she had come for.

The couple had finished their breakfast and headed for their room to change into their uniforms. They were teaching a class on self-restraint when it came to powers, and training classes meant uniforms. It was one of the most fun, but stressful, classes to teach, because they got to see the students' powers at work, but the students didn't have any self-restraint.

Once they were done, Kurt teleported them to the classroom so they could set everything up. The first lesson was the older students, the ones who were over 10. It was an average sized class, about 23 students in total, from 10 to 17. The oldest student they had was 17. Her name was Crimson River, because of her blood control and ruby skin. She had the most self-restraint of all of the students, as she thought her powers were a curse. The instructors had been telling her they weren't for the three years she'd been at the institute, but she never believed them.

The students began filing in, still tired from their early morning wake up for training. They needed to get at least one lesson in before school so they knew not to use their powers. Bayville was still weary of mutants, especially ones from the institute. They had seen what the original team from 2000 had done, and didn't trust the new recruits.

The last to arrive were Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. The Professor had told them that the twins would be sitting in on their lectures for the next few days, just to learn how to be a hero.

Once everyone was seated and situated, Kurt began the lesson.

"Last week, we moved a little further towards the goal of self-restraint, but so far, only one of you is there. We'll be in the Danger Room today to test your restraint." he told the students. Some of them cheered, while others groaned. No one liked the Danger Room, but some adored using their powers. Kurt rolled his eyes and headed for the Danger Room, showing the students restraint by not teleporting.

Scott adjusted his visor as he lead the group. Once at the Danger Room, Scott and Kurt parted from the students and the twins, heading up to the control room. They set up a special run to force self-restraint onto the students.

Once the simulation started, Kurt and Scott observed, making mental notes on who needed a little bit of a push. What surprised them was the restraint Pietro had developed over the last 12 years. He wasn't so keen on overusing his speed anymore, and only used it during the simulation when one of the students was in trouble. Wanda didn't use her powers once, only helping the students to not use theirs. The couple was proud of them, and most of the students. However, Bottle Rocket needed a bit more help. He still liked to go all rocket at random times to impress people.

The simulation was shut down and the students were sent off to school. Pietro and Wanda changed into civilian clothing and went to sit in the kitchen. The kitchen was the quietest place in the mansion when the students weren't home, and they wanted to talk. Wanda didn't feel like she fit in with the X-Men, but Pietro had been reassuring her. Pietro had known the X-Men as his enemy for quite some time, but they were the most accepting and inclusive people he had met. They never turned a person away, and always made everyone feel welcome. Wanda was slowly started to believe him, but their conversation was cut short by Kitty wandering into the kitchen. She was searching for Ray, as they were running a class together after school. She quickly apologized for interrupting the conversation and phased through the wall to check the next room.

Wanda and Pietro left the kitchen after that, heading in separate directions to explore the mansion. Wanda ran into Ray, and informed him that Kitty was looking for him. Pietro ran into Bobby, and stood watching him make a very detailed ice sculpture of the institute out of nothing. He was mesmerized by Bobby's power; it was one of the most powerful he'd seen, next to Scott and Charles. He also seemed to like showing off, much like Pietro used to. The 25+ year old mutant seemed to have the most control of his powers of all of the X-Men. He could do anything he pleased with his ice, even turning himself completely to ice.

Pietro finally managed to walk away from Bobby, heading in the general direction of upstairs. The dorms were all on the second floor, lined neatly through the halls with little handmade name plaques on the doors. The students had rooms in one set of hallways, and the instructors had a hallway and a half to themselves. He took note of some of the nicknames the students had. Crimson River, Jumpstart, Bottle Rocket, Cajun Fire. They all seemed so unique and different. There were a few more mundane ones, like Firecracker and Fairy, but nonetheless, they must have fit each student's powers.

Wanda had gone to look at the little case of victories the X-Men kept in the main foyer, just off to the side of the stairs. It had photographs, possibly taken with someone's mutant ability, of the battles they fought. The one at the very centre of the case was the battle against Apocalypse and his Four Horsemen. She and Pietro could be seen in a few of the pictures, aiding the X-Men in fighting the darker, Apocalypse-controlled version of their father.

They finally ran into each other again when they had returned to their rooms to unpack their things. There were two beds and two dressers in the room, perfect for the twins. They each chose a side of the room and unpacked their clothing and such, placing it where it needed to go. Wanda used her magic to keep everything organized, as Pietro was just making a mess.

Meanwhile, Scott and Kurt were in their room, curled together on the bed. They were discussing their next lesson while listening to some soft music. Their next lesson was a Danger Room session with the younger students to slowly ease them into the idea of fighting. There was a special Danger Room simulation meant for the younger students, which was less dangerous and murderous than the ones Kurt and Scott had been trained with. The younger students were easier to train than the older ones, as they were still young and actually listened to directions instead of trying to find shortcuts, like Bobby used to.

In another part of the institute, Ororo and Logan were discussing the newest additions and what they meant for the team. Magneto himself had joined the team years prior, and had been absent that day, as he'd been sent out to do grocery shopping with a few of the younger instructors. He should be returning quite soon, and they needed to find some way to tell him of the new X-Men. He may have any reaction to the news, and they wanted to be prepared.

As if cued, as they were discussing, Magnus, Brewer, Twilight, and Sticky Keys stumbled through the front entrance, laden with bags. They brought them to the kitchen and placed everything where it belonged. Running a school like the institute required mass amounts of food, which was purchased in bulk every couple of weeks.

Once they were finished, Brewer, Twilight, and Sicky Keys headed off to plan their lessons, and Magnus went to find Logan and Ororo. The three had a class the next day with certain students who needed help with school subjects. He found them by the Danger Room. Approaching, he cleared his throat and looked at them. He looked quite odd in his civilian clothing of a suit and tie, but they had learned to accept it.

"Hello, Magnus." Logan greeted. He was still tense around him, as he did have a metal skeleton.

"Logan." Magnus said with a small nod of his head. "Ororo." he added, turning to the aforementioned African. Ororo greeted him back, after glancing at Logan.

"Magnus, we must tell you something." Ororo said.

"What is it?" Magnus asked, raising a brow.

"You may wish to follow us to the planning room so you may sit." Ororo told him seriously. Magnus found himself following them. If it was such huge news that he needed to sit, he would obey.

Once they reached the planning room, Magnus sat in his usual chair, turning to face the other two mutants in the room.

"We have two new recruits." Logan said flatly. "Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch." There. It was out there. No need to sugar-coat it.

Magnus blinked in surprise. Pietro and Wanda had joined the X-Men? But they had been working for SHIELD. They were with them now? Had they known he was an X-Man now? He just sat in silence for a few minutes before telepathically reaching out to Charles. Charles had taught him how to just contact him by reaching out with his mind.

"_Charles... is it true?_" he sent. He knew Charles would know.

"_It is, Erik._" Charles answered. Charles was the only one allowed to call Magnus by his given name, but not in the presence of others. It was an intimate gesture, but they had been friends long before their powers had set in.

"_They are here now?_" Magnus asked. He got the mental version of a nod. "_Do you think they would wish to speak with me?_"

"_I do not know, Erik. You may just have to go to them_." Charles told him. Magnus closed the psychic link and stood up. He gave a short nod to Ororo and Logan and headed upstairs. He located the twins in the library, and cautiously approached them.

Pietro was the first to hear the footsteps in the vast library. It was so silent you could hear the heartbeat of the person across from you. He looked up and froze at the figure he saw. "Magneto..." he whispered, which caused Wanda to look up. She spotted Magnus as well and froze. She wasn't in a defensive freeze, as Magnus looked non-hostile and relaxed. She was just shocked.

"F-Father?" Pietro muttered, eyes wide. Magnus nodded slowly and stopped a few feet away from the twins.

"What are you doing here?" Wanda asked, placing the book she had been reading on the table in front of her.

"I have been a staff member here for several years." Magnus told his children. "I realized the error of my ways towards my views."

Pietro and Wanda could tell he was being sincere, because they had never seen him like this. They had seen him lie, and he wasn't lying this time around. Wanda cautiously stood up and went over to him. She wrapped her arms around him in an awkward hug, which Magnus returned just as awkwardly. Pietro went over to join the hug. Despite being in their 30s now, maybe the twins had a shot at a normal relationship with their father now, instead of the strained one they had before.

The day went on normally from their. The instructors planned their lessons, the students returned from school, and they started their training.


End file.
